


Love Is Not a Blessing

by Pslasher



Series: In the Shadow of Your Heart [2]
Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-19
Updated: 2016-02-19
Packaged: 2018-05-21 22:20:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6060121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pslasher/pseuds/Pslasher
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Katherine rises from the wreckage of war and tries to build a new life for herself.</p><p>This is an abandoned WIP.  My writing time is limited right now and this story grew into something that would need a lot of time to do well, but it’s not really what I want to be spending my time on right now.  I love it a lot, though, and didn’t want to just delete it.  I like to think I may come back and finish it at a later date, but that’s probably really just wishful thinking.  In the meantime, someone else may enjoy it.  You can read Chapter 1 as a standalone story of how Katherine and Emily meet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Un-beta’d. Title inspired by the song [Heavy In Your Arms](http://archiveofourown.org/works/530417) by Florence and the Machine. Contains references to, and sometimes dialog from, these episodes: S1E6 Lost Girls, S5E 500 Years of Solitude.

Katherine leaned out the window and yelled, “Stop the coach!” The driver called to the horses and yanked on the reins and Katherine lurched against the door with the force of it. She shut out the sound of the horses stamping and snorting and the questioning call of the driver to focus on the screams she had just heard. They came again, weak but clear to Katherine with her hearing. It was a woman, and it sounded like she was deep in the large manor house they were driving past, the house that was burning like the rest of Atlanta. 

“My lady, we should move on! Union troops are marching in and they will not wait on civilians!”

The screams came again, weaker this time. That girl had little time and Katherine felt pulled to save her, as if one girl dying amid the thousands already dead would make any difference. Her driver was right, but Katherine couldn’t seem to do the prudent thing just then. It seemed wrong to leave without trying.

She got out of the carriage and looked up at her driver, compelling him. “You will wait for me here and not abandon me.” Then she turned and ran into the great foyer of the house, straining to hear above the roaring flames and crashing beams as the house came down around her. The house was in evening shadow, except where a wall of flame off to the right cast light and shadow across the foyer littered with fallen beams and the disarray of a family grabbing what they could and leaving in a hurry. The voice came again and sounded to be above her. She ran up the great curving stair praying that the treads wouldn’t give way from underneath her, following the cries up into the attic, and pulled up short at more flames at the top of the stairs. The smoke was so thick she couldn’t see anything further than her hand in front of her, but she could hear the girl coughing and crying behind the flames. Katherine herself was coughing, her body unable to heal faster than the damage the smoke caused. 

She held her breath and charged through the flames, stepping through piles of burning coals and tripping on fallen beams until she broke through to a small circle of light around a window. The girl was there, her face pressed up to the window where the glass had been broken to let in some fresh air. Her clothes and hair were burned to shreds, her skin melted and raw and breath slow and wet. She hardly made any noise any longer, yet she struggled to keep her face to the window while holding a large, heavy leather bound book clutched to her chest. Even at the end she fought for life, and Katherine couldn’t simply let her die. 

Katherine gathered her in her arms, both of them gasping at the pain of being touched on raw and burned skin. The floor at the stairs gave way in a great crash, and Katherine was pretty sure she’d heard the staircase several floors down giving way minutes ago. The only way out was through the window. She kicked out the rest of the glass, kicking away some of the wood as well to widen the hole. They were likely four floors up and she didn’t know if the girl would survive the fall, but she had no other choice. She pulled her close and jumped.

She landed as lightly as she could, but even still the girl cried out in terrible pain. Katherine’s dress was burnt away, her leather shoes all but gone, too. She stood and hurried to the carriage, calling for her wide-eyed driver to open the door. She crawled inside and sat the girl on the seat, propping her up in the corner with her legs across the bench. 

“How did you do that, Miss?” He looked ashen and shaken, and like he might faint.

“Get into my trunk and pull out two dresses. Nothing too fancy.” When he didn’t move she yelled, “Now!”

The girl was moaning, a slight sound that was painfully wet and raspy. Katherine bit her wrist and tipped the girl’s head back, opening her mouth enough to let the blood flow in. “Drink, girl, drink...”

The girl swallowed slightly, only the barest movement of her throat, but it was enough for the burns on her face to heal slightly. Katherine patted her cheek and murmured gentle words to her, tearing her wrist again when her blood stopped flowing. Slowly, slowly the burns faded more and the girl swallowed more strongly, drinking deeply from her wrist. When her breathing came normally Katherine pulled back to see the driver standing at the door again, dresses forgotten in his arms as he gaped at her. 

She grabbed the dresses and compelled him. “You will forget you saw that and begin driving us out of town.” She slammed the door in his face. A moment later the carriage lurched into motion.

“Who are you?”

Katherine turned back to the girl, who was clutching her book but looked much less frightened than her driver had. Her dark skin was now smooth, her hair falling in a healthy curly mess to her shoulders. Katherine smiled at her.

“Who I am is not important. Let’s get you out of those clothes and into something decent, then I can drive you somewhere safe and let you out.” She reached for the book to put it to the side, but the girl clutched it closer and twisted so she couldn’t get her hands on it.

“Don’t touch me. I asked who you are. Where are you taking me?”

Katherine gritted her teeth in frustration. It looked like this was going to be difficult, and she didn’t have time for difficult so she let her will crystallize inside her and compelled the girl. “Forget about who I am, you won’t remember any of this the minute you leave this carriage anyway. You need to get dressed so I can get you somewhere safe. I’m leaving town and will drop you off anywhere you like on this side of the fighting if you tell me where.”

The girl smiled slightly, a knowing and scornful smile that Katherine didn’t like. “A vampire. I should have guessed. I hadn’t expected to find any here, but I shouldn’t be surprised. Bloodthirsty beings like you are drawn to war.”

“What?” Katherine was shocked enough to forget to guard her tongue. “How do you know about vampires?!”

The girl’s smile widened into a smirk. “Well, that’s a secret, and one that you can’t compel out of me.”

Katherine pursed her lips in thought. The girl clearly wasn’t a vampire, she’d have healed on her own the minute she was out of the flames. The only humans that knew of vampires were either those compelled for food sources, or witches. This girl couldn’t be compelled, which spoke of knowledge of vervain. 

“You are a witch, then.” The girl huffed in annoyance, and Katherine gave her own smirk. “You aren’t the only one with a little knowledge. Where are you going? I may not be able to compel you, but you may as well answer me. I have no wish to harm you.”

The girl drummed her fingers on the leather of the book she still held to her chest. “I was leaving town after I had gathered my things. You may leave me where you will, and I will find my way home.”

Katherine eyed her. “All you got from the house was that book. I hope that was all you wanted, because the rest is likely ash by now.”

The girl lowered the book to her lap and folded her hands on top of it. The gesture may have looked prim on someone else, but she held her head high and somehow made it look dignified. “This was all I had. Slaves such as I have no possessions to worry about.”

“And where is home? How do you plan to get there? A slave won’t get far alone without drawing notice, and I assume you have no papers allowing you to travel.” 

“I don’t, but there is a war tearing the country apart, in case you hadn’t noticed. I can slip through easily enough, and I can take care of myself.” 

“I don’t doubt that you can,” Katherine said. “Regardless, you won’t get far with your dress burned to dust.” She picked up one of the dresses and held it out. “Change into something decent.”

The girl nodded and took the dress. “I’ll need help with the buttons.”

“Turn around and I’ll get them.”

She twisted in her seat and Katherine undid the buttons that were left and then turned around to face the other direction and give her some privacy. “I am Katherine Pierce.”

“Emily Bennett,” the girl said absently, fabric rustling as she pulled the dress on. “I am ready.”

Katherine turned and did up the row of tiny buttons. They were of a size and the dress fit well. “Much better,” she said, leaning back on her heels to give Emily the space to turn back around.

“Now you,” Emily said, eying her dress. “You are in just as bad a state.”

They changed places, Katherine on the bench and turned away while Emily deftly undid her buttons. Katherine dumped the dress with Emily’s and kicked them both to the door, pulling on the new dress. It smelled faintly of cedar from her chest. She would have to get rid of the burnt dresses as soon as possible before the acrid smell ruined their new clothes. 

Emily did up the buttons, her fingers light and quick. “You’ll need new undergarments soon. Your crinoline has burnt up and your dress won’t hang right without it,” Emily said, settling back onto the floor after finishing.

“I have more in my trunks. I’ll change when we stop next.” She patted the seat beside her, moving over to give Emily a place to sit.

Emily smiled and sat beside her, smoothing out her dress. “It is a fine dress, nicer than any I’ve worn.”

“Keep it,” Katherine said. She felt drawn to Emily, and admired her courage. “I could use an attendant. As you can see it’s impossible to do up my own clothing, and I doubt my oaf of a driver could get it right even if I compelled him. It’s unfortunate I don’t know where you’re going. We could travel together for a while.”

Emily considered Katherine warily for a while. “I am making my way to Virginia, to Mystic Falls, where my family lives. Where are you headed?”

Mystic Falls was known to be a nexus for vampire activity and travel. It was also known to be a witch town among certain circles, somewhere you could go if you needed a witch badly enough to pay the price. It was known for its vervain, sold widely by the witches to humans as simple charms against evil. That explained a lot about Emily. Perhaps other supernatural creatures like werewolves also could be found there, or at least someone may know of where to find them.

“I didn’t have any particular destination in mind, other than needing to leave the city before war overtook us.” Here she paused and considered for herself how much to share. “My home is destroyed now, though I had no strong ties to Atlanta. It was simply a place to live for a time. It’s sometimes easier to hide one’s... flaws in a large city. Especially when there are other vampires present.”

Emily smoothed the fabric of her skirt and nodded.

Katherine decided to be bold. “I am in need of vampire company. Are there any in town I might connect with?”

Emily eyed her sidelong for long moments, until Katherine didn’t think she would answer. “I don’t know,” Emily said. “I have been away a while and they come and go, so I don’t know who they are at the moment. No doubt there are some there.”

“Would you be opposed to me accompanying you home? I cannot pay you for your help with my dressing and things, but I can get you home and feed you on the way.”

Emily raised her eyebrows, and Katherine thought she may have overstepped. “You offer to pay a slave for her services?”

Katherine waved a hand lightly. “I have been alive long enough to see slavery come and go with the political mood. I can’t compel you for what I want, so I may as well ask.” Katherine knew from experience that a witch was never a slave, no matter how she appeared. It was best to tread lightly and use flattery to get what she wanted.

Emily pursed her lips. “I think we could help each other, so yes, I will accompany you to Mystic Falls. You have my services until we arrive home, and we will proceed from there.”

“Agreed.” Katherine called out to her driver again and the carriage slowed to a stop and the door opened. “Dump these dresses along the road. We are headed to Mystic Falls, Virginia as soon as we can get away from the city. Drive the horses as fast and as long as you can to put distance between us and the city. Never open this door during daylight. Do you understand?”

“Yes, M’am.” He bobbed a quick bow, and then they were back on the road.

“I hope you don’t mind being sequestered in here during the daylight hours. I usually sleep to pass the time, then stop for breaks and some walks at night.”

“It will do fine. It’s far better than walking home,” Emily said wryly.

~~~

Katherine came awake to the sounds of Emily shifting restlessly on the seat across from her. She was fanning herself furiously, sweat standing on her brow and in the hollow of her neck. The shades were drawn tightly against the sunlight, and the carriage was dim and sweltering. She frowned at Katherine. “This is miserable travel.”

Katherine stretched. “What would you have me do? I’ll burn up otherwise.”

“Instead I’m the one burning up,” Emily muttered under her breath, fan doubling up in speed.

“It’s only been three days. You’ll strain yourself if you keep at it like that.”

“Yes, and weeks more of this. That settles it. Please give me your necklace.”

Katherine’s eyebrows shot up. “I beg your pardon?”

“I’m going to fix this situation. Please hand me your necklace, I promise to return it.”

Katherine frowned, but reached up to unclasp it and handed it across to Emily, who had her book open on her lap. She flipped through the pages before landing on the correct one. “Ahh, here we are.” She laid the necklace on the book and reached over to tweak the corner of the curtain so that a bar of light fell into the carriage.

“Wait!” Katherine yelped, shrinking into the corner of her bench away from the light.

“Rest easy,” Emily said quickly. “I won’t open it up all the way. I just need a little light.” She moved the book so it sat in the bar, the necklace glinting in the light.

Katherine relaxed a little. “What are you doing?”

Emily didn’t answer, merely closed her eyes and took a deep breath, her lips moving slightly as she murmured words too low for even Katherine to make out. She smiled in satisfaction, handing the necklace back to Katherine. “There. Put it on.”

Katherine eyed it suspiciously, letting it dangle from two fingers. “What did you do to it?”

“Do you trust me?” 

Emily sat quietly, hands folded on the pages of what Katherine had learned was her grimoire, all the knowledge she and her ancestors had gathered, and the source of her power. Katherine didn’t know the depth of Emily’s knowledge, or the many ways she could harm Katherine. But she had given Katherine no cause for worry over her safety in the last three days.

“Yes, I do.” Katherine put the necklace on, only fumbling with the clasp a little.

“Then put your hand into the light.” She drew back the curtain a little more so light spilled between them bright and menacing. She waited patiently, an encouraging smile on her face.

Katherine reached out slowly, ready to pull back the second her skin started to burn in the light. To her shock, it didn’t burn. Instead she felt the warmth of a sun she hadn’t known in centuries, and her jaw dropped. She flexed her fingers in the pleasant sensation, before whispering, “What did you do?”

“I put a daylight spell on it. It will allow you to walk safely in the sun as long as you wear it,” she said, then grabbed Katherine’s hand firmly. “You must wear it to be protected! Remove it while outside and you will have mere seconds to find safety before the sun claims you again.”

Katherine swallowed thickly around tears suddenly rising hard in her throat. “Thank you,” she whispered, her voice cracked around the emotion choking her. She threw the door of the coach open and lept out, landing lightly on the shoulder and turning her face up to the sun. It was blinding, brighter than she remembered, and she closed her eyes against the glare of it and the burn of tears gathering hot and running from the corners of her eyes.

Long minutes later Emily placed a light hand on her arm. “I felt it was only right, to thank you for saving my life.”

Katherine swiped the tears away, faintly embarrassed to be crying in front of someone else for the first time in a century. “I saved your life, and so you’ve given me back mine. It seems a fair trade.” She placed her hand over Emily’s where it rested on her arm as a quiet gratitude swept through her, the force of which she hadn’t felt for a very long time. Indeed, it had been a very long time since she’d been close enough to a human to feel much of anything for them.

Emily smiled, a genuine smile that crinkled her eyes and softened the sternness of her features. “Shall we walk a while alongside the coach? It would do us both good to enjoy some fresh air.”

Katherine nodded and tucked Emily’s hand through her arm. “I would enjoy seeing the forest in the daylight. Perhaps we may see a deer, or a squirrel.” 

Emily laughed. “All your decades of life and this is what you look forward to.”

“Do you know, it’s been a couple of centuries since I’ve seen a squirrel. Or a bee, or a bird. All of society around me enjoys a turn in the garden, and I have been denied that. It may be a simple pleasure, but I think today is a good day for simple pleasures.”

~~~

“So then John came back around the corner carrying the cat and the flask of whisky, completely confused that the cat hadn’t turned into his long-lost childhood dog, demanding his payment back before he had to beat it out of somebody. It took Grandmother and Uncle Peter both to convince him it had all been a joke.”

Katherine burst out laughing, a deep belly laugh that had her head thrown back against the seat and tears streaming from her eyes in minutes. Emily laughed with her, and Katherine marveled at the pleasure of sharing such a perfect moment with someone else. She had been on the run for so long, not allowing herself to stay in one place or trust anyone enough to form a friendship, that the pleasant feeling was altogether foreign.

“You have a remarkable family, Emily. That is a rare thing. Why in god’s name would you have left them?”

Emily wiped her eyes, the last hiccuping laughs trailing off. She glanced out the window, which they kept open all day now. Her gaze sombered, becoming introspective. Katherine thought she wouldn’t answer, but after a while she spoke, her voice soft with the traces of hurt she couldn’t or didn’t try to hide. “I had a disagreement with the matriarch of my coven. I made a daylight ring for a vampire that had taken up residence in our town, and I was cast out for it. _It is not for us to get caught up in vampire business,_ ” she said bitterly, seeming to quote someone.

“That was your matriarch’s view?”

“Yes, and there was no forgiveness. I developed the spell out of curiosity, and because I believed I could trust the woman.” Emily caught her eye and said firmly, “The spell can be reversed by the one who cast it, should that be deemed necessary. I would just need to get my hands on it again. It allows the witches to maintain some power over the situation to keep vampires from behaving entirely as they please.”

Katherine remembered Emily’s warning to never take the necklace off in daylight, and her blood ran cold. What if Emily became angry with her and reversed the spell out of spite?

Emily sighed and looked out the window again. “I thought it would be a way to bridge the divide between our species, to allow us to build trust and work together and stop constantly fighting and betraying each other. Grandmother didn’t see it that way, though.”

“Is there really that much fighting?”

Emily shrugged. “We do our best to keep the humans safe and out of it, but yes. Not all the vampires have respect for human life and the witches will protect what is ours, and keep the humans safe if we can. This vampire I made the ring for is one that seeks to find a balance between feeding on humans as I know you must, and not killing needlessly. I had hoped she could be a leader to establish some rules amongst the vampires, but my family likely will drive her out if they ever find out who she is. There can be no peace if the witches won’t abide by an agreement.”

“And so you wound up in Atlanta.”

“And so I did,” Emily nodded. “I was attempting to travel to Salem, my family comes from there-”

“The Salem witches! You are descended from those women?”

“Yes. I have powerful ancestors, many of whom were killed off at that time. Not all, though. My bloodline is not pure African, but the English women were the target of the town. Many of the slave women escaped the notice of those looking for demons and fled, ending up in Mystic Falls, where our bloodline mingled with the witches already here and we established a very strong coven. So I was traveling to Salem, but was captured and sold to a family in Atlanta.” She shrugged again, the gesture listless and weary. “It did not matter where. Without my coven I am nothing.”

Katherine raised her eyebrows and fingered her necklace. “This is a powerful thing you did, I would not discount yourself as nothing.”

“My power comes through the earth and can be accessed wherever I am, but also through my ancestors. When I am cut off from them, cast out of their favor, I have lost that power. Earth magic is strong, but nothing compared to combining the two power sources.”

“You miss them,” Katherine said gently, aware this was a sensitive subject and not wanting to cause pain.

“Yes, more than you can know.”

Katherine understood perfectly the pain of being forced from family, but she didn’t voice that. She merely nodded and tactfully didn’t question further.

“Would you abide by such rules, and live in a community that attempted peace between all sides? Is it such a fanciful dream that no one can see that it could work?”

Katherine smoothed her hand over her dress as she delayed answering, trying to decide how much to say. “I have no home, and cannot settle. I am not safe anywhere I go, there is one who would see me dead if they found me. That is a question I can’t answer.”

“Truly? No home or family at all?”

Katherine shook her head tightly, as much in answer to Emily’s question as to shake away memories of that bloody room from long ago. “No. I seek to end my exile, but have yet to find a way.”

“We will both be outcasts in Mystic Falls, then,” Emily mused quietly. “The vampire that I helped was named Pearl. If she is still in town perhaps she will help us.”

“You would continue to help me when we arrive at your home?” Katherine was surprised. She had expected Emily to leave for her family the minute they hit the town limits.

“Until I can win my family’s approval again, I have no family. I will be vulnerable on my own. It would suit my purposes to remain in your company. Introducing you to Pearl would be the least I could do.”

It was a risk, but she’d taken risks before. The value of Emily’s town knowledge could be invaluable, especially where other vampires were concerned. “You are aware you’ll need to act as my slave when others are present. Is that acceptable?”

Emily nodded. “It is. I have done so before, and as long as you treat me fairly I have no problem with it.”

“Then we are agreed. I will provide you with a secure position for as long as you need it in return for your aid. It will be a pleasure to have company that isn’t compelled in some way for their service.”

Emily smiled and flipped open her fan. She looked a little more relaxed than she had before, some underlying tension seeping away. She had been worried about arriving home and having nowhere to go, Katherine realized. Well, Katherine may not be compelling Emily’s service, but she would be indebted to Katherine, and that could well prove useful.


	2. Chapter 2

“You must be Miss Pierce,” Stefan Salvatore said, bowing slightly.

“Please, call me Katherine,” she said, holding out her hand for him to bow over. He was every bit as handsome as he’d appeared from the window of her coach days ago, and her stomach gave a little flutter just like it had at that first sighting. “And you must be Mr. Stefan Salvatore.”

He laughed. “Just Stefan. My father is Mister Salvatore. If you have no need to stand on ceremony then neither do I.”

Katherine smiled and curtsied, murmuring, “It’s a pleasure meeting you, Stefan.”

“The pleasure is all mine.” His voice was pleasantly growly, made all the more charming by the faint blush that spread across his cheeks.

She took her hand back before the contact became unseemly. “Is your father not home to greet me?”

“Father is in his study, where he lives these past few years.” He turned to the slaves standing off to the side. “Fidela, inform Father we are entertaining our guest in the parlor. James, help Miss Pierce’s girl get settled into her room.”

Katherine tucked her hand into Stefan’s arm, staying as close to him as proprietary allowed as they walked up the front steps.

“Please come in and make yourself at home,” he said, sweeping his arm out to usher her inside before him. He showed her into the parlor just off the entrance and saw that she was seated comfortably in the corner.

“Would you care for a drink? I’d offer you tea but I’m afraid with the blockades lately our supply of tea is very low. Father only allows it on Sunday mornings.”

“Water is fine, Stefan, thank you. Our canteens ran dry an hour ago so I welcome it.” That wasn’t strictly a lie as Emily had actually finished hers. Katherine hadn’t had a drink of water in months, but it was best to uphold the subterfuge of humanity at all times.

Stefan nodded to Fidelia, who had silently slipped into the room but left quickly at Stefan’s order.

“Miss Pierce,” Mr. Salvatore said, coming into the room.

Katherine stood and curtsied deeply. “I thank you again for your hospitality, Mr. Salvatore.”

He nodded stiffly. “I trust you traveled safely?”

“I did. These roads are some of the safest I’ve ever traveled.”

“As well they should be. The town council’s highest concern is the safety of it’s citizens. We’d accept nothing less.”

“Then I’m indebted to you yet again for keeping me safe.” She smiled shyly and was pleased to see his frown soften slightly.

“Well, I’ve been informed that dinner is served, so let me feed you lest you waste away under my care.” He offered her his elbow and she took it. His arm was stiff under her hand, and she got the feeling that he didn’t interact with ladies very often.

He led her into a formal dining room with all the finery laid out. He pulled out a chair for her, seating her graciously beside himself and opposite Stefan. 

“Father tells me he met you at the boarding house in town,” Stefan said after everyone was seated.

“Yes, it was fortunate that he did. There were no rooms to be had and I would have been turned out onto the streets if he hadn’t come along!” Katherine opened her eyes just a touch too wide and put a hand to her chest to feign distress. Of course, she’d compelled the innkeeper to turn her away at just the moment Mr. Salvatore was walking past so she could open the opportunity for him to save her, but the way he smiled slightly at her comment meant he didn’t suspect her.

“I couldn’t very well abandon such a gently bred young lady in a time of need,” Mr. Salvatore said.

“It is fortunate indeed that you had business in town then, Father,” Stefan said, beaming across the table at Katherine, seemingly delighted to be involved in saving a young lady from homelessness. 

She smiled back, pleased with her scheming. They ate well, the Salvatores pulling out their best for their guest. After dinner Mr. Salvatore stood.

“It has been a pleasure dining with a lady again, Miss Salvatore. Thank you for your company. However, if you will excuse me I have some work to finish before the day is out.”

Stefan frowned. “Can it not wait, Father? We could play a round of cards to entertain our guest.”

Mr. Salvatore smiled, his face softening only a little, but it was the most relaxed she’d seen him. “Play cards, or take her for a stroll through the grounds now that it’s cooler out. I have every confidence you’ll be a good host. I have a meeting with the Mayor I must prepare for.” He bowed slightly towards her and strode from the room.

Stefan sighed. “Please excuse my father. He doesn’t mean to be rude, but I expect when the time comes he’ll argue with Saint Peter himself that he has too much work to do and can’t accommodate death at that moment.”

Katherine waved a hand dismissively. “Great men must spend their time in productive ways. I suppose I’ll have to make do with you this evening,” she said. After all, her interest in staying with the Salvatores was as much to get closer to Stefan as Giuseppe. “Your father mentioned that you have gardens?”

“We do. They were my-” Stefan cut himself off then glanced towards the door. “We can walk through them if you’d like.”

“I would love to,” she said. She collected her fan from Emily, who trailed them through the front door and down a bricked path to a formal garden on the side of the house. 

Stefan opened the gate and gestured her through. They ambled slowly along a crushed brick path, and paused in the shade of a large magnolia tree. “I used to climb in this tree with my brother, when we were little,” he said suddenly, turning to look up at it, his smile small and wistful. “It’s so ancient it must have been planted when my father was young.”

“Your brother? Will we be meeting him?”

His shoulders stiffened and the smile slid off his face. “He has joined the army and is away contributing to the war effort. We don’t know when he will be home again.” 

“You must be proud of him.”

Stefan shrugged slightly. “We argued before he left and I’m afraid he is upset with me.”

“I’m sorry to hear you left on poor terms,” she said, touching his shoulder lightly. He looked so forlorn it seemed natural to comfort him. “Perhaps you can resolve your argument when he returns.”

He nodded slowly. “He hasn’t written since he left, and we don’t know yet how to forward mail to him. I hope he isn’t so angry that he refuses to communicate.”

“I’m sure he’ll overcome his anger and write. If he is as good a brother as you he won’t neglect his family obligations.”

Stefan shrugged again and smiled, this time a little lighter. “I hope you’re right. Come, let me show you the maze my mother designed for this garden.”

“Your mother?” 

“Yes. She was ill with consumption for a long time. She always loved formal gardens with mazes, so my father had one planted for her to look out on while she was confined. She was delighted to work with the gardener to plan it. It kept her busy for a time.” He paused and ducked his head a little, laughing a little hoarsely. “I’m sorry to be so maudlin this evening. My manners seem to have deserted me entirely.”

He clasped his hands behind his back and shuffled his feet a little so that he was turned away and she could see him rubbing his fingers together nervously. It was completely inappropriate conversation to be having with a guest on the first day of meeting, but Katherine was charmed by his earnest and overflowing love for his family. It was such a rare thing to find. 

She touched his shoulder again. “I understand. My own mother loved to embroider and I treasure the last dress she made for me.” She hadn’t worn it in public since she had been disavowed and banished to England, as the style would have immediately marked her as a foreigner. She had worn it frequently at night those first few years, though, and the comforting thought of her mother’s love had gotten her through many long and sleepless nights. When the dress had shown signs of wear she’d slowed to trying it on once a year, then once a decade. Now it was packed safely at the bottom of one of her trunks, untouched for a century. It really was a miracle it had survived so long.

Stefan smiled at her in commiseration, and Katherine had to force herself to smile back and not to frown. She hadn’t told anyone about that dress, and she couldn’t imagine what had prompted her to do so now. She needed to remember to keep her distance. She took Stefan’s arm when he offered it to her and chattered gaily about her interest in the town while they walked through the garden, and tried to remember that she had a purpose here other than Stefan. 

They adjourned to the drawing room some time later when the light failed. Stefan showed her how to play a card game she’d never heard of, and she was pretty sure he let her win the first two hands.

Some time later she excused herself for the evening, and Emily, who had been sitting quietly off to the side, lit a candle and led them up to a room just off the stairs. It was roomy and nicely furnished, definitely a step up from the boarding house. Her trunks were laid out, one at the foot of the bed and the other two along the far wall under the window. Her evening dressing things were laid out on the vanity, her brush and a soft cloth alongside a pitcher of warm water.

“Well this is lovely. Certainly better than that boarding house,” she said, walking over to test the softness of the pillow.

“Yes it is, Miss Katherine. This is appropriate for a lady of your stature,” Emily said.

Katherine glanced over, but Emily was simply smiling blandly, waiting quietly by the door with her hands folded in front of her. Katherine sometimes got the idea that Emily might be mocking her with all her dry comments. She was pretty sure there was more to Emily then Emily let on. 

“Come and help me out of this dress, please,” Katherine said, standing in front of the poster bed and grabbing a post. “What do you think of Giuseppe Salvatore?”

“He seems very reserved, but you can’t deny his charity to open his home to you,” Emily said, lifting away the bodice of her dress and starting on her skirt.

“I think he has connections around town. He may actually be useful for more than a place to stay while we find the other vampires.”

“How is that?”

“I think he has a soft heart underneath everything, and I mean to use it.”

Emily snorted, her sure fingers loosening the strings of her corset so that Katherine could finally draw a full breath again. “I think the only thing soft about him is his middle.”

Katherine laughed. “I suppose we shall see who is right about that.”

Emily helped her into her nightgown and Katherine sat at the vanity so Emily could brush and braid her hair for sleeping. 

“You are sure there are vampires here?” Katherine didn’t like the uncertainty of working with incomplete information.

“My family has long known of the presence of vampires in this area,” Emily said, tying the end of her braid with a thong. “I can’t be certain, but there are likely one or two. You know this. I have a cousin I trust and will reach out to her tomorrow, if you can spare me after dressing.”

“Yes, you have leave to visit with her.” Emily rested her hand on Katherine’s shoulder and Katherine reached out to lay her hand briefly on top. “Thank you for your help in this. I know it is dangerous for you and your family to be involved with vampires.”

Emily squeezed her shoulder. “It is the least I could do, considering what you did for me.”

Katherine turned and smiled at Emily. “Do you have a room set up for yourself?”

“There is a small room for the help beside this one, I’ll be there. I’ll be close if you need anything.”

“Well then, good night.”

~~~

“Oh, Miss Pierce!”

Katherine shut the door to her room and turned to see Stefan standing uncertainly at the top of the landing. “Why, good morning, Stefan,” she said, pointedly using his first name.

He flushed a little. “Good morning, Katherine.” He looked around awkwardly. 

He had likely never had a conversation with a lady without an escort of some sort, and she didn’t even have Emily with her this morning. She smiled in amusement at his discomfort and came to stand beside him at the top of the stairs. His hair was damp and combed neatly, and he looked smart in his vest and coat. “Don’t you look gentlemanly this morning. Are you attending the meeting with your Father?”

“Ah, thank you,” he said, brushing a hand self consciously down the front of his vest. “Father is having guests over to the house for his meeting. I won’t be attending, but I wanted to present well. Would you care to head down to breakfast?” He gestured for her precede him down the stairs. 

She stepped a little closer and murmured, “I’m sure you’d hold your own during your father’s business meetings. He should include you,” before heading down the stairs at a leisurely pace. She’d been close enough to catch a whiff of cologne, which he certainly hadn’t been wearing yesterday. She wondered if that was to impress her or his father’s associates.

Stefan saw her into the dining room, pulling a chair out for her to sit before taking his own seat. Mr. Salvatore was already there, buttering a biscuit. 

“Good morning, Mr. Salvatore,” she said, smiling.

“Good day to you, too, Miss Pierce,” he said, nodding briskly.

“Stefan told me all about your big meeting this morning. I do believe he is excited to be around such excellent company.”

“Is he indeed,” Mr. Salvatore said, gazing appraisingly over the rim of his glass at Stefan, who looked both anxious for his father’s approval and mortified that Katherine had spoken for him. “Well, attitudes such as that may get him invited to attend someday.”

Katherine hid a smile at Stefan’s hopeful look. “May I enquire as to the nature of your business?”

“I own several businesses, chief among them is a timber business that built this house and half the town. Currently I am purchasing real estate in town, and am brokering the deal with several other founding members.” He smiled kindly at her. “It’s all very tedious, I wouldn’t want to disturb your first restful morning off the road with all this.”

Katherine needed to know as much as she could about the town and Mr. Salvatore’s contacts if he was to be of any use to her, but she forced herself to laugh lightly and smile. “It is good to be back in a proper home again. Traveling for long periods is so dreadful. I look forward to doing some needlepoint this morning. It’s impossible to keep up with it in a bouncing carriage, you know.”

Mr. Salvatore nodded gravely, then turned back to the sheaf of papers beside his plate and Katherine got the feeling they’d been dismissed from his train of thought. 

Stefan smiled apologetically at her. “I’m afraid I’ll be turning to my work after breakfast, as well. I keep father’s books for his timber business and I have several hours to put in this morning. Will you be able to entertain yourself when we abandon you?”

Katherine smiled confidently. “I’ll be quite safe in your drawing room for a few hours, Stefan. You needn't worry over me.” In truth, she hoped to eavesdrop on Mr. Salvatore’s meeting and welcomed being left alone to do so. 

After breakfast was cleared she tucked herself quietly into a corner chair in the drawing room where she had a good view of those coming and going through the front of the house, while being out of the way enough to hopefully escape notice. Several men arrived not long after, and she mentally noted all their appearances. Giuseppe didn’t introduce her, merely ushered everyone along to his office and shut the door firmly behind them.

Katherine could hear them well enough anyway, could pick out the deep voice of the stout one and Giuseppe's confidant response as they all settled down with cigars.

“Well, Giuseppe, your plan with the Boarding House failed. A vampire was found there last night and taken care of. A human owning the deed is not enough.”

Katherine froze in shock, needle poised over the rosebud she was forming. She may have been discovered had she stayed longer at the Boarding House! She wondered if Emily knew the Council was actively hunting vampires, or if she was as ignorant as Katherine herself had been.

“But that makes no sense,” Giuseppe said. “We know they cannot enter any human home uninvited!”

“But is anyone actually living at the Boarding House? And does it have to be the deed holder?”

There was a pause, and then Giuseppe said, “The innkeeper doesn’t live there, he keeps a house with his family not far away. No one lives there, that I am aware of. That must be the difference.”

“How can we fix this?”

There was a rustling that sounded like someone stood and paced across the room. 

“Well, I’m not going to move into the Boarding House, for God’s sake, but we can’t leave the place open to facilitate their travel, as we have for so long. They are a constant danger to the town.” Giuseppe said. “Who can we get to move in there to see if that would make the difference?”

“They must be someone we can trust, in case we have to include them in Council business.”

Giuseppe sighed wearily, and another rustle sounded as if he’d sat heavily in his chair. Long minutes passed, then he said, “I have a young cousin I trust reasonably well. He lives close enough to get here quickly, and he has no family or business yet to tie him down. I can try and persuade him to move in and manage the business. If I needed to induct him to the Council I think he would acquit himself well.”

“That is a good plan,” the Mayor said. “Let us know how that goes. In the meantime, we think we’ve found a safehouse for the demons, other than the Boarding House. Mr. Johnson, tell him what you think about your neighbor.”

“Well, about a month ago they stopped behaving normally. Mr. Smith hardly leaves the house to go to work, and I never see Mrs. Smith in the garden anymore. The lights are on in the house all hours of the night, and the curtains drawn all day. I’ve knocked on the door several times but only gotten them to open the door once. He looked nervous and tried to shut the door in my face! Something is really wrong there.”

“Mr. Johnson, does the bank have any leverage over the Smiths? Do we have any legal right to seize the house?”

There was a rustle of papers and Katherine thought Mr. Johnson opened a folder. He cleared his throat. “Mr. Smith has leveraged himself quite significantly to purchase his latest crop of horses for later resale. He took quite a hit when the army seized so much of his sales stable, you know. It’s a little questionable, but we do have grounds to seize the house for repayment. We’d need to get someone to live there, but we can have this done in a day or two.”

“Guiseppe, can you buy the place, on top of the Boarding House purchase?” The Mayor asked.

“I can,” Guiseppe said. “I welcome the chance to save these folks from this evil possession.”

Katherine sat back in her chair, stunned. This Council seemed far more active and dangerous than she had expected. She touched her necklace, shuddering to think of the position she’d be in if Emily hadn’t intervened. She would have to be very, very careful during her time here or she might not make it out.

The talk of the meeting turned to more ordinary town business, and Katherine resumed her embroidery, mind racing through the new information and how she could use it to her advantage. The men emerged some time later. Giuseppe saw them out, then disappeared upstairs with Fidelia, issuing orders that he be packed and made ready for a week long journey. 

Early afternoon saw the three of them standing at the front door, Stefan frowning slightly. 

“Father, this is so sudden, are you sure you can’t wait a day or so? Our guest has just arrived!”

Katherine sympathized with him. He likely knew nothing of his father’s real business about town, and it was extraordinarily unusual to leave a young lady in unsupervised company with an unrelated man, much less to leave them alone in the house for days at a time! Stefan was probably confused beyond belief.

“I have business that can’t wait, son. I expect you to manage my timber business, you know what to do there, and look after the household.”

Stefan’s brow creased. “But I don’t understand, what business could have come up so suddenly that I don’t know about-”

“I can’t discuss it, Stefan.” He reached out and laid his hand on Stefan’s shoulder, smiling a little at him. “I trust you to handle business here. That’s all you need to know.”

Stefan’s shoulders slumped a little, but he nodded. “Yes, sir.”

Giuseppe turned to Katherine. “I do apologize for this unusual turn of events. Are you quite sure about staying here while I am gone? I can give you the finest room at the Boarding House until I return. The last thing I want is questions about your honor.”

Katherine shook her head. “I’ll be fine. Fidelia and Emily are both here to supervise, as is my driver, and you’ve got Mrs. Lockwood stopping by daily to check in on us.” She gave her sweetest smile. “Stefan is an honorable man, any young lady would be safe in his care.”

Giuseppe sighed. Katherine thought he might change his mind and order her to pack and leave, but he merely shook his head. “Well, if you insist. I don’t have time to make any better arrangements, and I can’t very well turn you out again after taking you in, can I? I will be gone a week at most, perhaps as short as three days. Stefan, you can contact the Mayor with any problems. I can always return home quickly if I’m needed, it’s only a half day’s ride if I press the horses.” He squeezed Stefan’s shoulder, bowed to Katherine, and strode down the stairs to the waiting carriage.

After he was gone, Stefan turned to her with his eyebrows climbing to his hairline. “This is most unusual!”

“Well, you’re master of the house now, you’ll have to see to all my needs,” Katherine said lightly, enjoying his flush at her comment.

“Is there anything you need that we haven’t provided?”

Katherine took his arm and stroked a palm down his firm bicep. “Well, I haven’t eaten this afternoon. I do think you should feed me before I perish from hunger,” she said solemnly. 

Stefan smiled down at her, his eyes warm and his smile whispering of pleasant moments to come. “Then I shall feed you, and give you whatever else you desire.”

Katherine’s heart fluttered pleasantly and an answering smile stretched across her face. It was the most innocent flirting she’d ever taken part in, since he’d likely never done more than ask a lady to dance twice at the local ball, but he moved her in a way no one had in a hundred years. She walked with him to the dining room, stroking his arm in a most improper manner and enjoying his proximity and eager expression, and forgot entirely that she was supposed to be making plans for the day.

~~~

The dogs in the yard broke out into noisy baying and Stefan looked up sharply from the book he was reading.

Katherine set her needlepoint down on her lap. “Are we expecting visitors?”

“No, and Father wouldn’t be back unless something were wrong.” The din outside changed to excited barking and yipping and Stefan’s expression grew hopeful. He set his book aside and strode to the door, Katherine scrambling to follow. He paused on the open threshold, his face breaking into a delighted grin. “Damon!”

He rushed out the door, running down the steps and launching himself at a dark haired man walking up the drive. The man laughed and dropped his bag in the dirt to wrap his arms around Stefan and pound him on the back in greeting. “Oh, it is good to see you, brother,” he murmured, low enough that a human wouldn’t have been able to hear it. He tried to pick Stefan up and barely managed to get him off the ground. “I swear you’ve grown an inch since I left!”

Stefan laughed and pulled back, his hands coming to rest on Damon’s jaw. “I am so glad you’re home safely, brother.” He patted Damon’s cheek before pulling him into another fierce hug.

Katherine stood on the porch and watched Damon’s homecoming with curiosity. Stefan had frequently spoken fondly of his brother in the short time she had been here, and it was plain to see that love was returned in spades by Damon. Rarely had she seen two siblings with so much affection, and it actually caused a small pang of remembrance for her own sisters now long gone. It seemed ages before Stefan pulled from their embrace to turn to Katherine.

“Damon, I don’t know if you got my last letter, but we have a boarder. Her name is Katherine Pierce.”

Damon reluctantly pulled his gaze from Stefan to look up at her. He looked her up and down - quickly and subtly, but she was experienced enough to catch it - and smiled. He came up the steps to bow over her hand, gazing up at her from under his unruly fringe of hair. “Stefan did indeed write to me of you, Miss Pierce. It is a great pleasure to meet you.” His gaze and the touch of his hand on hers was electric, and she wondered what it was about the Salvatore boys that pulled at her so.

“The pleasure is all mine, Damon. Please, you must call me Katherine.”

“If it pleases you, Katherine,” he murmured, brushing his lips over the back of her hand in an electric kiss before letting her go and standing. He threw his arm around Stefan’s shoulder, who had come to join them on the porch. “I go away to war, to march across the state and fight my fellow man and eat god-awful food, only to come home and find you entertaining the finest lady I’ve ever seen. I do think you got the better end of this bargain!”

Stefan laughed and scuffed his toe against the porch. “It has been an honor to aid a lady in need.”

Damon’s thoughtful gaze rested on her. “Indeed it is. Noble Stefan,” he murmured, scrubbing his hand affectionately through Stefan’s hair, laughing when Stefan shoved him away to set himself aright. “And where is Father? Why is he not here to greet the prodigal son returned?”

“Father is away on urgent business. He left just this afternoon.”

“And what, he left you here alone?” Damon’s disbelief bordered on comical.

“Your wise father left me in the care of your noble brother,” Katherine said, smiling charmingly at Damon. “And now I shall have another to champion my honor. I do believe I am the luckiest lady in all of Virginia.”

Damon bowed exaggeratedly to her. “My lady, let’s get you inside and out of this heat so I can eat and drink before I fall over from exhaustion. I’ve been walking since daybreak and I would be rid of these damn boots if it’s the last thing I do.”

Stefan grabbed Damon’s duffel and ushered them inside, Katherine sitting back in the parlor while they tromped upstairs.

“Did Father really leave you here alone with her?” Damon murmured when he probably thought they were out of earshot.

“Yes, he had a meeting with the Mayor this morning and then practically ran out of the house as soon as he could pack and make ready. He’s going to fetch our cousin Henry from River Crossing.” There was a pause, then Stefan said, “I know, I can’t figure it either. He wouldn’t tell me the nature of his business. Maybe you can get it out of him.”

“Unlikely. I’m the last person in town he’d confide in,” Damon muttered, and his voice was far more bitter than Katherine would have expected. She tapped her finger on the book of poems she was pretending to read. Perhaps that interesting information would prove to be useful. There was a muffled thump, as if one of the boys had shoved the other into the wall. “You, on the other hand, need to tell me everything! Where did this woman come from, and why the devil did Father leave you alone with her?”

“Father found her at the Boarding House, turned away and with nowhere to go. Of course he took her in! And why shouldn’t he trust me to care for her?” His voice turning offended.

“Because you are both of marriageable age and it’s improper,” Damon said, the words gentle but his tone sly. “Is she staying there? You’ve been two doors down from her all this time-”

“Damon!” Stefan sounded so outraged and shocked that she had to hide a smile. “I have behaved with the utmost propriety around our guest, I’ll have you know. I would never-”

“Relax, baby brother,” Damon said, laughing. “I know you wouldn’t so much as look at her sideways. Though she does cut a fine figure.”

Stefan harumped. “Well, you’ve turned into quite the prurient while you’ve been away.”

“The army will do that to you.” Katherine arched an eyebrow. That was a _very_ interesting thought. There was a thump, and then another as Damon shed his boots. He flopped back on the bed and sighed loudly. “You have no idea how relieved I am to be home.”

“Did you see battle?” Stefan’s voice was soft, hesitant, and Katherine thought he’d likely been very scared for Damon while he’d been away.

“Some,” Damon said. “But come, let’s go eat. Fetch me those boots I used to wear while riding, they’re well broken in.”

The boys tromped back downstairs and they adjourn to the dining room, where Fidelia had a simple meal laid out.

“A table and chair and proper dinner knife, such luxuries I haven’t known in months!” Damon exclaimed. He pulled a chair out and gestured to Katherine. “My lady.”

“Thank you, Damon,” Katherine murmured, smiling at him as she sat. His answering grin was warm, his blue gaze just a touch too intense.

The boys sat opposite her, both smiling eagerly at her as they passed platters of food across to her. It was a heady feeling, having both their full attention. 

“Damon, how long have you been in the army?”

“Only eight months. I’m lucky to be getting leave so early. Some men in my regiment haven’t been home in two years and more.”

“Oh? Well, you must entertain us with tales of your bravery!”

“Well, most of the soldering life is deadly boring. We spend the majority of our time marching, and most of the rest of it camped out while trying to figure out where the enemy is and coordinating with the rest of the Army. There’s not much glamorous in all that. But I will tell you this story. I went to board at John B. Cary’s Academy about a year ago, and not long after that the school closed due to the war. The instructors, many of whom had military experience, and the older boys in my class decided to join the army together, creating our own Company. Well, my bunkmate Jeffrey was quite the clown and he was always getting into trouble.”

Katherine sat back and listened, enjoying the way Damon grinned mischievously at them and Stefan smiled easily back and threw his arm around the back of Damon’s chair. He seemed more relaxed than he had since she’d arrived. It was the most light hearted meal she’d had while staying at the Salvatore house, and she had no doubt that had everything to do with Giuseppe’s absence. She liked Damon and his charm and mischief and the way he teased Stefan, but never too roughly. She might even like him as much as Stefan, which was unexpected. She had been struck by Stefan from the moment she saw him, and was a little unprepared to be as interested in his brother as he. 

They laughed and talked late into the evening, until Emily slipped quietly into the dining room and Katherine had to acknowledge that the hour was getting too late to properly remain in mixed company. 

“Well, gentlemen, I thank you for a delightful evening,” she said, wiping her mouth and throwing down her napkin. “It’s time for me to retire, and I’m sure you have catching up to do.”

Stefan hurried up from his place to pull her chair out for her, saying, “I’m so glad you got the chance to meet Damon, what wonderful luck that he came home while you were here!”

Damon stood and bowed to her from across the table. “Good evening, Katherine,” he murmured. “I hope you sleep well.”

Katherine curtsied to them both and left with Emily. Up in her room, she paused by the bedpost while Emily undid her bodice. “How did it go with your cousin?”

“It went well. She was willing to talk to me, which was more than I expected, really. Things aren’t much different than they were before I left. She did tell me where Pearl was staying, though, which you will find useful.”

“Oh?”

“She’s staying in town, above the general store, which she keeps now. You can find her there working most days.”

“Her identity remains a secret?”

“So far as my cousin knows, yes. She herself didn’t even know Pearl was a vampire.”

“That’s good,” Katherine said. It would be easy enough to engineer a ‘chance’ meeting at the store, no one would think twice about it. “I will be going into town tomorrow, then. You may come along if you like, or did you have further plans with your family?”

“I did want to visit with my cousin again. It’s so good to be home again, and hearing family news about all the things I’ve missed. No one else knows I’m back, but it’s still nice.”

Katherine nodded and they said goodnight, Katherine tucking herself into bed. She fell asleep to the quiet murmuring of deep voices and lighthearted laughter.

~~~

“I will be riding into town this morning,” Katherine announced at the breakfast table the next day. “I left home without certain items, and it would be good to purchase them. Is your general store well supplied with items of ladies fashion?”

“I suppose it is,” Stefan said. “The ladies around town all seem finely dressed to me.”

Damon laughed. “You’ve never traveled anywhere, Stefan, how would you know?”

“Well, we get women traveling at the Boarding House every so often and they don’t seem any finer than our ladies.”

Damon shrugged at Katherine. “He’s probably right. You may expect more from high society in Atlanta, but Mystic Falls is relatively in fashion from what I saw. You and Emily will enjoy shopping, I think.”

“Emily has family in the area and won’t be joining me today.”

Stefan’s eyebrows raised. “You will need an escort, then. I can be of service today.”

“Don’t you have work to finish before your father comes home?”

“Well, yes, but I can’t allow you to wander around town all by yourself.”

“I can escort you,” Damon said, a small smile on his face.

Spending the day with Damon was an interesting prospect. His knowing little smirks were intriguing, and Katherine wanted the chance to get to know him a little more intimately.

“Well, I can’t pull you away from your work for something as frivolous as shopping, Stefan,” she said. “And I would enjoy your company today, Damon.”

Stefan frowned. “Very well, then.”

He seemed so disappointed that Katherine smiled gently at him. “You can spend the evening entertaining me any way you like. How about that?”

He perked up a bit at that. “Then I look forward to your return.”


End file.
